It was Déjà vu for the Gators.
With 8:11 left, Florida held a 51-36 lead over Arkansas. Then it began. The Razorbacks proceeded to go on a 15-2 run over the next seven minutes to cut the lead to 53-51 with 1:02 left.
Fortunately, Arkansas’ off night shooting continued down the stretch, and the Gators hit their free throws to close out the 57-51 victory.
It wasn’t pretty. In fact, it was almost unbearable to watch but when the final buzzer sounded the Gators improved to 9-5 on the season and 1-1 in the SEC.
KeVaughn Allen had a sweet homecoming by leading the way for the Gators with an 18-point performance. Heading into the game, the senior guard had really struggled.
His field goal percentage was still off, but Allen was aggressive against the Razorbacks, which led to trips to the line where he went 11-12 and hit the clutch ones at the end to seal the victory.
“It’s good to always go there and play, just knowing that my family and friends are going to see me play and knowing that they’re not able to like come to every game in Gainesville,” Allen said Tuesday before the game.
It was far from his best, but the senior guard found a way to make an impact by staying aggressive. Outside of Allen, scoring was done through committee.
Jalen Hudson threw in nine points and six boards, while Noah Locke dropped 10, Dontay Bassett contributed seven, and Andrew Nembhard finished with six points, five boards and four assists.
As a team, the Gators went 18-58 (31%) from the floor and 6-26 (23.1%) from three.
It was still not a good night offensively, but that’s not what this team is about. They were relentless on defense for most of the game.
The collapse in the final minutes is still inexcusable though and Mike White cannot afford another one like that. The rest of the SEC will not be as forgiving as the Razorbacks were.
When you look at the entire game though, Florida held Arkansas to 15-50 shooting (30%) and 6-26 (23.1%) from three while forcing 16 turnovers.
What really won this game though was the free throw line. Allen was fantastic but as a team the Gators went 15-19 (78.9%) from the charity stripe. The Razorbacks finished 15-26 (57.7%) from the line.
This was an ugly game, something Gator fans are all too familiar with this season. But it was a win, a conference win on the road and that’s something. But if the Gators don’t find an offensive rhythm and continue to give up late leads, it may be one of few SEC victories.
Next up is probably the best team in the conference in the Tennessee Volunteers at home Saturday night. Florida has to show some major strides if they want a hope of defeating the Vols.